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Since Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his royal dynasty would be everlasting (2 Sam 7; 1 Chron 17), it’s really not surprising that David prefigures Christ in many ways. In fact, there are so many similarities between David and Jesus that an entire volume (or volumes) could be written on the subject! But let me just give you a few.
Both David and Jesus:
1. Descended from Abraham and the tribe of Judah (1 Chron 1:28-34, 2:1-15; Matt 1:1-2)
• Biblical genealogies—including the one in 1 Chronicles 1-2 shows that David was a son of Abraham and from the tribe of Judah. Similarly, Matthew’s Jesus genealogy shows that both David and Jesus were sons of Abraham from the tribe of Judah.
2. Were born in the town of Bethlehem (1 Sam 16:1; 17:12, 58; Luke 2:4-7)
• While the Bible doesn’t directly say that David was born in Bethlehem, this is undisputed because there are several passages that link his birth to that city. For example, 1 Samuel 16 and 17 tell us that David’s father Jesse was a Bethlehemite who lived there with his sons. And Luke 2 refers to Bethlehem as “the city of David” which implies that he was born there. In this same Luke passage, we read that Jesus was also born in Bethlehem (v. 6-7).
3. Burst onto the scene from an unlikely social position (1 Sam 16:1-13; John 7:1-31)
• Regarding David’s unlikely rise to Israel’s throne, scholar James Hamilton, Jr. writes, “Considered in worldly terms, there are certain expected routes to the throne. Being the youngest son, and later, serving as a court minstrel. In the same way, the establishment is hardly impressed by the circumstances of Jesus’ birth and the route he takes to the throne. John 7:27 indicates that Jesus was not perceived as matching what was expected about where the Messiah would be born and raised (cf. 7:41-42). Just as Jesse did not expect his youngest to be anointed by Samuel, so Jesus’ family apparently did not expect him to be the Messiah.
4. Were anointed by God to lead His people (1 Sam 16:1-13; Matt 3:13-17, 12:15-21; Luke 4:17-21, cf. Isaiah 61)
• God instructed Samuel to anoint David king over Israel and Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit of God at his baptism. Significantly, Jesus acknowledged this anointing in Luke 4:17-21.
5. Were shepherds and kings (1 Sam 16:11-13; 2 Sam 7:8; John 10:11, 18:33-37)
• According to 2 Samuel 7:8 God took the shepherd boy David “out of the sheepfold” and turned him into a shepherd-king. And Jesus refers to Himself as “the good shepherd” in John 10:11 and is also not only a King but the King of kings.
6. Amazed the elders as young men (1 Sam 17; Luke 2:41-52)
• The young David slew the seasoned warrior giant Goliath with nothing more than a stone from a sling, which amazed King Saul and all Israel. And the boy Jesus amazed the religious leaders with His knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures.
7. Angered the leaders of the time because of their popularity (1 Sam 18; Matt 12:9-14; Luke 4:28-30, 6:6-11)
• David’s success enraged King Saul. He was so jealous that he “used his own daughters as traps against David (18:17, 21, 25).” And when that didn’t work, he went after David himself. Similarly, Jesus’ popularity angered the religious leaders of His day, and they constantly were after His life.
8. Spent time in the wilderness (2 Sam 21 ff.; Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; etc.)
• With Saul after him, David fled from his home into the wilderness and stayed there many days. And the gospels indicate that Jesus spent a great deal of time in desolate places as well.
9. Had no place to lay their head (1 Sam 22:1-2, 23:24-5; Matt 8:20)
• During David’s stay in the wilderness, he traded his warm bed for a cold gorge or cave and his soft pillow for a rock or log. Similarly, Jesus also had no permanent resting place. As He himself said in Matthew 8:20, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
10. Were betrayed by those they served (1 Sam 23:1-12, 30:1-6; Matt 26:14-16, 56)
• “David delivered the city of Keilah from the Philistines, and yet the people of Keilah were ready to hand David over to Saul (1 Sam 23:1-12).” And when David and his men had returned from battle and found that their woman and children had been taken captive his men wanted to stone him. In the same way, “the crowds whom Jesus delivered from demons, disease, and death, were ready to hand him over to Rome. Just as David’s men were ready to stone him, Judas was ready to betray Jesus (e.g., Matt 26:14-16), and the rest of the disciples abandoned him in his hour of need (26:56).” Truly David was a shadow of the King who was to come!
Ryan Hembree is a daily co-host, speaker, and writer of Bible Discovery. He also hosts a YouTube channel that shows the unity of the Bible and how science and Scripture fit together. Ryan also has an honorary Masters of Ministry in Creation Science from Phoenix University of Theology.
[1] These selections are taken from J. Warner Wallace, Person of Interest, P. 41 in which Wallace summarizes James M. Hamilton, Jr.’s, The Typology of David’s Rise to Power: Messianic Patterns in the Book of Samuel
https://jimhamilton.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SBJT-V16-N2_Hamilton.pdf
[2] James M. Hamilton, Jr., The Typology of David’s Rise to Power: Messianic Patterns in the Book of Samuel
https://jimhamilton.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SBJT-V16-N2_Hamilton.pdf
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
